12 July 2012 - Security Council - Peacebuilding - Statement by Mr Gérard Araud, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations

I wouldlike to thank you, Madam President, for your presenceamong us here today, and Colombia for havingorganized this open debate on peacebuilding. I wouldalso like to thank the Secretary-General; the Chairof the Peacebuilding Commission, the PermanentRepresentative of Bangladesh; his predecessor,the Permanent Representative of Rwanda; and therepresentative of the World Bank.

France associates itself with the statement to bemade on behalf of the European Union.We note today that, despite the 2010 review, the roleof the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) is still beingdefined. I would therefore like to make three commentsconcerning this matter.

First, the primary role of the PBC is to identify,together with the States concerned, the needs onthe ground and the stakeholders who are alreadyinvolved. Contact with those in the field offers apicture of the needs on the ground. The work carriedout in the case of Guinea is an example of this. Themapping exercise carried out by Luxembourg and Japanprovides us with a precise, quantifiable picture of theexisting shortcomings and projects needed to remedythem. This exercise deserves to be repeated in othercountry-specific configurations of the PBC.

The identification of the most pressing areas shouldbe the result of an in-depth dialogue with the relevantState. To facilitate this dialogue, there are integratedpeacebuilding offices in a number of post-conflictcountries, such as Burundi and the Central AfricanRepublic. The country-specific configuration of theCommission must be in close contact with these offices,and their exchanges must be fluid. That dialogue will beeffective only if links with the field are strengthened.As was demonstrated by the Security Council’s visitto western Africa, the PBC is sometimes lacking invisibility in States in the region, in particular SierraLeone.

Once the work to identify needs has been completed,it is important for the PBC to be able to play its politicalsupporting role. On the one hand, an important elementof the tasks entrusted to the Peacebuilding Commissionis that of advocacy, especially for resource mobilization.On the other hand, the PBC should open a dialogue withthe authorities of countries on its agenda in order to askthem to take specific commitments and follow up withresults on the ground.

The signing of mutual commitments orpeacebuilding plans with a State is not in itself enoughto guarantee that they will in fact be implemented. Forexample, the peacebuilding plan for South Sudan isblocked for now as a result of budgetary austerity. In anumber of situations, States do not possess the meansto cover and fully participate in all projects under way.It is therefore essential to establish priorities and to berealistic.

Finally, the key element of the role of thePeacebuilding Commission is coordination. The PBCwas designed as a platform for contact between thevarious members of the international community,including the international financial institutions, whichplay a decisive role in this regard. Partnerships withthem must be developed. Coordination is a long-termendeavour. To ensure the sustainability of theinternational community’s commitment, various effortsaimed at reviewing the topic have been launched, suchas, inter alia, the review of civilian capacities. The issueof partnership development lies at the very heart of thatreview. We believe that that approach provides us withthe best hope for a long-term commitment.

The international community must not createconditions of dependence where a State is kept on lifesupport, but rather conditions for recovery. An excellentoption is the drawing up of contracts such as the NewDeal for International Engagement in Fragile Statesdeveloped at the 2011 Forum on Aid Effectiveness, inBusan, which involved defining a State’s commitmentand so involves it in the project. Initiatives aimed atpromoting the recovery of a viable economic fabricmust be especially encouraged. The joint informalevent of the Economic and Social Council and thePeacebuilding Commission in June on partnerships foryouth job creation in States emerging from conflict wasuseful. That approach should also be reflected on theground in each State on the PBC’s agenda.

I will conclude by underscoring that to bring acoordinated response to post-conflict situations andto make sustainable any return to peace and stability,the Commission must work as a flexible and responsivemechanism, one bringing all players together in a jointaction plan. It therefore behoves us to be especiallyvigilant with regard to the risks of bureaucratization ofthis young institution.